Key Bible Passage(s):
II Peter 1:16-20; Exod.4:10-16; Num.24:2-13; Heb.3:7; I Cor.2:10-13; Gal.1:8-12
Tier 1:
What do we think we mean when we talk about the Bible being the Word of the Lord? What distinguishes it from the claims of other religions about sacred texts? The Church isn’t at liberty to decide what we think the Bible is, but rather must humbly listen to what the Lord Himself says about the Bible in the Bible. We need to listen to the expereince of those who were involved in producing Scripture, and what it meant for them to be inspired by the Holy Spirit as they were.
Tier 2:
We confess this book to be the Word of the LORD because that is exactly what it is. It is literally spoken by God, and so we approach it with utmost seriousness, and as we have seen, in humble dependence on the Spirit who wrote it. We don’t play games with it, or presume to sit in judgement upon it, or dare to give it anything less than our full attention. We must be immersed in it, characterised by a posture of deep trust and a pre-determined commitment to believe and to obey all that we find here.
Tier 3:
It is often assumed that the Anglican Church sits ‘fast and loose’ with the Bible, sometimes even denigrating it below ‘reason’ or ‘tradition’ as a source of authority for belief and practise. This is patently false. The Homily on Reading and Knowing the Scriptures opens with: For a Christian … there can be nothing either more necessary or profitable than the knowledge of Holy Scripture … there is no truth nor doctrine, necessary for our justification and everlasting salvation but that is, or may be drawn, out of that fountain and well of truth. Therefore, as many as desire to enter into the right and perfect way of God, must apply their minds to know Holy Scripture.
Scripture was not handed down from man, or by human desire. You will never come to read it well unless you bring to it reverence, obedience and willingness to learn. A proper reverence arises from the conviction that it is God who speaks with us and not mortal men …
John Calvin
Discussion Questions
Every religion has its holy book that it claims is inspired. Why should we give any special attention to the Bible as the Word of God, rather than e.g. The Qu’ran, Baghavad Gita, Tripitaka, etc.
How would you convince someone they could trust the Bible as the Word of God?
and later in the session
Does this tie up with how you think of the Bible? Do you have a different idea of what it means to speak of the Bible as the Word of God?
What problems, challenges and questions do you think this view of inspiration faces?
How does this idea make you feel?
What relationship would you expect someone to have with this kind of Book? How would you approach the Bible if you believed this about it?
How would you expect a preacher who believed this about the Bible to preach?
How would you expect the Bible to feature in the life of a Church that believed this?
Homework
Over this half-term we have been working to memorise Matthew 6:25-34. You will have to keep refreshing Matt.5:1-26, Matt.6:5-15 and Matt.7:7-28 whilst you do this.
(we’ll memorise the whole of the Sermon on the Mount over the 3 years of DTP)
To Be A Christian, Q&A 25-35
If you were with us last term, take another look at Q&A 252-255, and see what aspect of your rule of life you could begin to develop this term..? It might be your habits of reading, studying and meditating on Scripture?
